On a rather bland, chamfered corner, at the top end of Gràcia, a delightful surprise lies in store for those who enter Magnesia. For this surprisingly bright shop, with its triangular floor plan and stunning floor tiles, converts this unobtrusive spot into a haven of all things (well) illustrated.

Magnesia also offers a very lovely range of ceramics which tell stories thanks to the illustrations that have been transferred onto them.

Unique calendars

Lovely Letterpress cards

Paper dolls

Big fans of Letterpress and Hammerpress, it is no surprise that at Magnesia you can find many items printed with this artisanal technique, ranging from charming cards to nifty calendars and pretty paper doll packs.

Travel-ready

Magnesia also boasts a textile corner where you can find bolts of fabric (mostly from Japan and the US – some of which were designed by Lisa Congdon), cushions, and pretty handmade handbags with delightful vintage fabrics.

Take your pick!

Home goods

Lisa Congdon’s designs and more

Local illustration artists but also many from abroad are represented at Magnesia, displayed with great taste in a space that feels uncluttered, despite having a great deal to offer.

Illustrated ceramics

There is so much to be discovered at Magnesia! Tea towels, placemats, jewelry (not shown), puzzles, cards, posters, plates, bowls, funky totes (you know that you need another to add to your collection, right?) and pretty handbags.

Illustrated beauties

Beautiful totes

Tea towels, placemats, and more…

You can find Magnesia on Carrer Torrent de l’Olla 192 (at the top end of Gràcia, just opposite to Lukumas). It opens Mon-Fri: 10.30-14.00 + 16.30-20.00 and Sat: 10.00-14.00. For more info and updates check out their blog and Facebook page, and feel free to follow them on Pinterest and Twitter.

Do you like t-shirts? The kind with cool prints on them? If you do, you might like the t-shirts made by Escala Cordial.

Constructive tee

Based in Barcelona, Escala Cordial has just been launched, and their website has just gone live a few days ago, so this is somewhat of an exclusive for you all. And you know what? You can win one! Read on and you’ll find out how…

Like this:

Sorry to have kept you waiting today! I’ve been doing some DIY in my home and as a result I was too nackered to write this post last night, and too sleepy to do so early this morning! Technical glitches delayed things ever further, but here it is, a new installment in the BCN Handmade series, in which we meet the people behind Novedades.

They are: Maria del Mar (or Mar for short) of Lolitas BCN, the lovely lady who started Novedades and who makes so many different things with textiles as their basis; Imanol Ossa, the gentle man who first joined Mar at Novedades, and who brings new life and adds light to all things discarded, and Marta of Literatura Vertical and Lamagaprints, the latest addition to Novedades and the friendly creative behind all the items at Novedades that have graphic design at their heart.

Decals in progress

They each have a space in the workshop that is visible behind the shop that is Novedades, from which they design, create and make (by hand!) their wonderful items, each with their own style and origins. It’s best they tell you themselves about what drives them, what inspires them, and which spots are their favourite in Barcelona, so check out the slideshow and read on…

On Carrer Peu de la Creu 24 we can find Novedades, a shop I discovered one morning, while having a coffee at Satan’s Coffee Corner, and which is well worth a visit. Why? you may ask… Well, because it sells an interesting range of items which were all made in Barcelona. In fact, most of them were made right there!

Bottled lamps

The lovely bottled lamps were made there, as were the colourful clothes.

This year’s programme booklet for the La Mercè festivities was filled with pretty illustrations, so I have decided to show it to you. These scans don’t really do them justice, but I wanted to show them to you anyway, so I apologise in advance for the lack of visual quality.